Seed-planter



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

O. S. TITSHAW.

SEED PLANTER.

No. 413,211. Patented Oct. 22, 1889 u. PETERS. "Mo-Dimmer. Wuhlngwn. m;

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. (No Model.)

.0. s. TITSHAW.

SEED PLANTBR.

Patented'O tPZZ dicero 'SJZ'iZSk k EIERs. Phawulbo her. Walhinglm, 013;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. r

CICERO S. TITSHAVV, OF-WALNUT GROVE, GEORGIA.

ISEED-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,211, dated October22, 1889.-

Application filed April19,18i9. Serial No. 307,779- No modal.) A i Toall whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CIOERO S. TIrsHAW, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Wal nu't Grove, in thecounty of Walton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and usefulSeed-Planter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to seed-planters, the objectv being to provide amachine that can be used to distribute either seed or guano or. bothtogether, and also to regulate the distribution. 1

To these ends my invention consists in the several details ofconstruction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side View of the machine as used todistribute both seed and guano. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine.Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a side view with thegrainhopper removed. Fig. 5 is a plan View of the bottom of theguano-hopper. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are detached details.

A A are two frame-bars, having at their front ends a block ainterposedbetween them,

the bars and the block being securely bolted together, as shown.

B B are the handles, and b is a block in terposed between them at theirlower ends.

0 is the furrow-opener. metal. bar bent to form a loop 0, to which aplow of ordinary construction may be at tached. The ends 0 are firmlysecured to the lower ends of the handles B, and are interposed betweenthe rear ends of the bars A A, a bolt 0 securing the handles and barstogether.

D is a brace formed of a metal bar bent or doubled midway of its length.The lower or loop end (1 fits within the loop a, and is pivoted theretoby means of the bolt d, and the two ends which form the upper portionsof the brace are pivotally secured to the bars A A by the bolt d.

E is a wheel rigidly mounted on the axle E, having bearings in the boxesE secured to the bars A. These boxes may be reversed, soas to bring theaxle above the bars A instead of below, in which case a wheel of Itconsists of a greater diameter may be used. The axle E extends outwardlyat eachend beyond the boxes E and is provided with cranks e.

F is the guano-hopper, resting on and secured to the bolsters orsupports F. These bolsters consist of metal bars bent, as shown, andtheir ends f rest on the plates f, which in turn rest on the bars A. Theends f and plates f are perforated for the reception of the bolts fwhich pass through them, and

the plates f on the under side of the bars A. \Vhen the nuts f are.screwed onto the bolts f, the plates f and f will be clamped on the barsA, and the hopper F will be held securely in position. The bottom of thehopper is provided with an opening which communicates with thefunnel-shaped mouth of the tube G. The tube is'secured' to the bottom inany suitable manner and leads downward, so as to discharge immediatelyin the rear of the foot 0. The sides of the hopper are provided withlong narrow slots g, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

H is a metal plate resting on the bottom of the hopper F and adapted toslide between the guide-pins h. This plate is provided with two slots h7L2, as shown, the smaller h being used when guano is distributed andthe larger 712 when cotton-seed is distributed. The ends of the plate Henter the slots 9, and one or the other end will project beyond the sideof the hopper according as it is being used to distribute guano orcotton, and it will be seen that the plate can easily be shifted, asdesired, by simply pushingin the projecting end. In order to prevent theguano .caking on the plate H, I provide a knife H, which lies on theupper surface of the plate H. The end k of the knife is pivoted to thebottom of the hopper, and a lever k is attached to the other end andpasses through one of the slots g to the outside of the hopper, where itis provided with a suitable handle to operate it. This end of the knifeis held down in proper position by means of the screw 71. passingthrough the slotted enlargement h of the knife. The bottom of the hopperF is grooved, as shown at g, and within this groove a narrow metalgage-plate I is adapted to slide. One end of the plate I is under theplate H, and the plate I extends beyond the hopper rearwardly, and ispivotally secured at its other. end to the lever .I, the latter beingpivoted between the handles B. The plate I is twisted in order to bringits fiat surface in a vertical plane, to enable it to be convenientlypivoted to the lever. The plate I is slotted at i, and a set-screw 2passes through the slot into an extension of the bottom of the hopper.to limit the movement of the plate in either direction. The object ofthis gage-plate I is to regulate the discharge of the guano orcotton-seed, for it will be readily seen that as the gage-plate I ispushed forward by the lever I the communication between the hopper andthe tube G through the slots in the plate H will be gradually reducedand finally shut off altogether. This arrangement of the lever-gage isvery convenient, as it enables the attendant to regulate or shut off thedischarge without leaving his position at the handles. In order that thegage may be set at any desired position without giving special attentionto it, I pivot a bar J at one end to one of the handles, and by simplyswinging this bar up or down the backward throw of the lever I islinked. The lower the bar J is moved the shorter will be the backwardthrow of the lever I, and vice versa.

A shaft K is journaled in suitable boxes in the side of the hopper F,the portion of'the shaft within the hopper being square, and theprojecting ends being bent to form cranks 7c. The square portion withinthe hopper is provided with projecting pins 70, which, when the axle isrevolved, serve as agitators for the contents of the hopper. Motion istransmit- 7 ted to the shaft K by means of the connecting-rods K, whichare attached to the cranks 7c and e.

L is a frame made of iron and removably secured at its lower end to thebars A in the same way as the supports or pillows F. In the lowerportion of this frame is journaled a shaft L, provided at each end witha crank Z. The rods L connect the cranks Zwith the upper ends of theconnectingrods K on either side of the machine. The shaft L will thus berevolved when the machine is in operation. The shaft L carries withinthe frame a pulley Z, which revolves with it. A shaft L mounted in theupper part of the frame L, receives its mot-ion from the shaft L throughthe medium of a belt Z passing over the pulley Z and the pulley Z Theshaft L also carries a disk M, provided on its periphery with the cupsin. This'disk revolves partially within the corn-hopper N, the frontside of which is slotted atn for this purpose, and partially within theframe L and the semi-cylindrical chamber L immediately in front of theframe L. The distributingtube N communicates at its upper end with thelower end of the chamber L The hopper N is wedge-shaped and fits betweenone of the handles B and the frame L. One arm of an angle-iron n isbolted to the side of the This slot and screw serve hopper. The otherarm n passes'in'front of the frame Land between it and the walls of thechamber L. A bolt 91 passes through the wall of the chamber L the arm nof the angle-iron, and the front side of the hopper, thus securing themfirmly in position. 01 n are braces fastened to the frame L and to thehopper F.

The cups mon the disk M may be arranged at any desired distance apart toregulate the distance between the droppings, and they can be made of anysuitable depth to carry any predetermined number of grains of corn.

The hopper N is provided with a sliding gate n at its bottom for thepurpose of discharging its contents, when necessary; It is also providedwith a sliding gate N which extends downwardly and obliquely from thetop edge of the front side across the interior of the hopper, and is cutaway at its lower end, as shown at n to permit the corn to pass throughto the bottom of the hopper. This gate slides between the guide-pins 0,and a screw 0, passing through it to the front side of the hopper,secures it in position. Standards P are provided, to the lower end ofwhich coverers of suitable constructionmay be attached.

It will of course be understood that the draft-bar is attached to theblock a in any suitable manner.

The operation of the machine is as follows: As illustrated in Fig. 1,the machine will open the furrow, deposit guano, drop the corn, andcover. The discharge of the guano can be regulated by means of thegageplate I, con trolled by the lever I. As the wheel E re volves, theagitator K in the hopperF will also revolve and keep the guano loosenedup. The disk M will also be revolved, and the cups will carry up thepredetermined qnantity of grain and discharge it into the ChEtlIk ber Lwhence it passes through the tube N to the furrow.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the machine is de signed to distributecotton-seed or guano alone, the corn-hopper having been removed and thehopper F moved rearwardly. In order to remove the corn-hopper, thebraces n are disconnected from the hopper F and the connecting-rods Kand L are disengaged from each other, and the frame L is detached fromthe bars A A. The corn-hopper, the frame L, the chamber L, the braces 11and the connecting-rods L can now be removed. The tube G, which isattached at its upper end to the bottom of the hopper F, can also beremoved. This renders the machine much lighter, and consequently easierto operate. By simply loosening the nuts f on the bolts f the hopper Fcan be moved rearwardly, and the crank k will engage the connecting-rodK through the openings 00. V

In case it is desired to distribute grain only, the hopper F can beremoved, the lever I being detached from the handles B. The cornhopperand its attachments can now be moved forward, the connecting-rods K in.this inthe transversely-adj ustable plate having slots" of differentsizes fitted in the side slots of the hopper above the gage-slide, theknife pivoted in the bottom of the hopper and extending above saidtransversely-adjustable plate, and a handle pivoted to the free end ofsaid knife and extending through the-slot in one side of the hopper,substantially-as setforth.

3. The combination, with a hopper having a discharge-opening in thebottom and long narrow slots in each side, ofa knife pivoted atone endto the bottom of the hopper and having at its other end a slottedenlargement. or projection, a screw passing through the slot in'theenlargement into the bottom of the hopper, and an operating-leverattached to the knife and extending through one of the slots in the sideof the hopper, substantially as specified.

In testimony that'I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

CIGERO S. TITSHAW. Witnesses:

THOMAS GILES, JOHN P. EDWARDS.

